Welcome to TORC and to MAAMA – Mammo, Alys & Ateelah’s Mothering Agency! I’d like to introduce you to my co-adopters, Alys and Mammo. We will do our best to answer any questions you may have about navigating around the message board.

To start with, you may notice that there are many forums to choose from. Many members of TORC post in one or two forums on a regular basis and rarely visit others. For example, Mammo posts primarily in Movies (Tolkien and non-Tolkien) while Alys and I have posted in a variety of forums from Books to Philosophy to Talk. We do tend to spend a little more time in Movies, though.

If you are interested in Role Playing Games, or RPGs, Alys does have some experience in that forum as well as in the Scriptorium, if you want to share your poetry or prose.

One of the best places to start is with Blackwood's excellent New Comprehensive Introduction thread in the Welcome Forum. There is a tremendous amount of information there and you might find some of your basic questions already answered. There is also an FAQ thread in this forum which has more commonly asked questions.

Please familiarize yourself with the Terms of Service (TOS). These are guidelines of behavior for members of TORC. Much of it is common sense, but it helps to know what the rules are. You can find a link to the TOS in the upper right hand of the screen, no matter what page you are on in the message board.

Please remember that it is against the TOS to post your age on TORC if you are under 18. This is for your protection

Before creating a new thread on a topic, try using the “search” function. You can do a search by keyword to see if someone else has started a thread on your topic. For example, if you type “Ralph Bakshi” in the keyword search you will get quite a few results. Using the “search” function helps to minimize the occurrence of multiple threads on the same subject.

Make sure you are posting in the correct forum. If you post a chat thread in the Philosophy forum, it will probably be locked. If your thread does get locked, the moderator will usually explain why it is being locked. You may not always agree with the reason, but the mods are there to keep order.

To create a thread in a particular forum, you click on “new topic”. A box will open up with a place for a title and another place for your message. Try to be specific with your title so that people don’t have to open up the thread to find out what you are talking about.

If you find a thread on the messageboard that you would like to participate in, it’s a good idea to read the beginning post and some the replies. Some of the threads are started as jokes. This sometimes gets lost as the replies start to stack up. Some of the threads are serious and your response should be too.

If you feel someone has responded to your reply in a harsh manner, ignore them. There is no point in exchanging insults with them. It’s better just to find another thread, or start one of your own.

Bumping” is creating a post so that a thread stays near the top of the forum. Since the creation of the "Sticky Threads" this is rarely used to keep important information at the top of a forum. If you want to keep a favorite thread active, please post more than a smiley or one or two words. Your post should add to the discussion, not just bump the thread.

If you decide to subscribe to a thread, be prepared to get 20-30 e-mails a day or more if it’s a very active thread.

Enjoy your stay at TORC and please feel free to ask any questions that you might have. Alys, Mammo and I will do our best to help find the answers for you

Last edited by ateelah on Sat May 15, 2004 9:04 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Welcome to TORC! I hope you will come visit with us and allow us to show you the "easy" way to enjoy the boards. Between the three of us we can quide you into Newbie status in a fun and painless fashion.<BR><BR>As Ateelah says, when a thread entices you, read as much of it as you can before responding. It took me several posts to realize that I was adding what I thought were insightful ideas only to find that someone else had already voiced that opinion! BLUSH!<BR><BR>Also, many posts start as jokes. Check early posts in the thread and watch for the use of the emoticons... Likewise, sometimes a little smiley can take the sting out of a critical post <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0><BR><BR>So enjoy yourselves, have fun with this and don't worry - the three of us are here to catch you if you fall off the table while dancing in a bar in Bree <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0>

Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! Adopt me! Adopt me! Ooo! What's a quide? Where can I go to fall off a table while dancing in a bar in bree? Do I need to bring pants?<BR><BR><BR><BR><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><BR><BR><BR><BR>(was that a deft use of a smiley?<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif"border=0>)<BR><BR><BR><BR>

and yes.... we will steer you clear of some of the torcer's who are best avoided <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0><BR><BR>You know who you are <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-devil.gif"border=0>

Perhaps we should start a grammar school too. Mammo my dear, "torcers" in your usage there is plural, not a possessive.<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif"border=0><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0>

<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-rolleyes.gif"border=0><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif"border=0><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0> spd, the grammar cop, strikes again! <BR><BR>I highly recommend these 3 lovely ladies as your adopters. They are absolutely supah and cover about 6000 miles between them. I suppose I could convert that to kilometers for Alys but I'm lazy and bad at math. <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0><BR><BR>I have another tip for the newbies! When you're responding or starting a post there's a nifty little link below your text box that says <u><b>Symbols</b></u>. It has all the useful html and smiley codes. This way you can create links when you put a url in your post instead of a simple cut and paste. You can bold, italicize, and underline too!

Visitors, how nice! <BR><BR>Thank you, vyn, for your endorsement, I'm blushing! I know Mammo and Alys appreciate your kind words as well! And good point about the "symbols", now I don't have to edit that information into my first post! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif"border=0><BR><BR>Spd, so nice to see you in here. Please try behave yourself! We <u>are</u> trying to set good examples for new posters in here! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0><BR><BR>Now all we need is for Alys to check in!<BR><BR><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0>

LOL, Vyn!<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><BR><BR>Ateelah (and Mammmo and Alys), worry not, I shant bother you again, but may stop in from time to time, promising to be on my best behaviour. You know I love all three of you very much - if I didn't I wouldn't bother with the gentle ribbing. Any newbie coming here for direction and guidance couldn't ask for three finer ladies to show the way.<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0><BR><BR>And if any of you newbies are history buffs, please stop by the <a target=new href="http://www.tolkienonline.com/thewhitecouncil/messageview.cfm?catid=24&threadid=49571">Watergate thread</a> in the Talk forum, where we combine heavy drinking with a running discussion of the Watergate scandal that brought down the Nixon Administration.<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><BR><BR><BR>

Be careful, SPD, or I shall rope you in as an adopter TOO! Tongue in cheek your posts might be, but I know you well enough to think you'd be good at it <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><BR><BR>Welcome MAAMA! Nice to have you on the boards <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0>

Here I am better late than never! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0><BR><BR>As Ateelah has already said I post all over the place but can be found most often in movies. I would advise newcomers to take a bit of time lurking before plunging into that particular forum, the inhabitants are witty and for the most part kind, but they do not suffer fools gladly and will not hesitate to tell you so <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0><BR><BR>I do enjoy Role Playing and I'm fairly new to it myself, the main thing there is to remember that it is a story you are writing, not a game or a competition and you are expected to keep standards high. That's not to say you shouldn't join in - practice makes perfect and so long as you try you will be welcomed with open arms.<BR><BR>Anyway if you want to be adopted (and your name isn't spd!<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0>) just leave a quick post here and one of us will get back to you.<BR><BR>Welcome to TORC! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0>

Woo-hoo! I finally got in! I've been having some TORC access problems, which may be a server issue. In any case, I just thought I would check in and see how things are going. <BR><BR>Looks like things are a bit slow...<BR><BR><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0>

Hi Ateelah! Got your message and ran over here to say hello. <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0> Any of you newbie's who need a home- this is a great place to be! So Ateelah- did the pool, hot tub, big screen TV and hammock all make it over here? Lets not forget the DVD player so we can all watch our favorite movie! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0>

Great to see you donnam! Most of the furniture and the hot tub is in our chat thread but I think there's a few cozy chairs in here to hang out in while people are getting to know their way around. I think I'd better put a link to that thread in my sig as well!<BR><BR><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0>

The link is a great idea! Some may not have found the thread and that will help. I think I'll go back there, climb into the hot tub and watch FOTR! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0> Have a great night!

I've just seen pics of Alys at the recent Oxenmoot! Woah! She's a babe! Swoooooooooon!<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>(as if any lady TORCer could be anything but a babe, right?<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0>)

Ateelah- Once again, I need some help. I have found myself in charge of setting up and maintaining a thread for people interested in finding roommates for The Gathering in Toronto. The only problem is, I have no idea how to start a new thread. I need to list it in the Events section. How does one physically get a new thread started? Thanks<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0> Donna

<i>spd grumbles not in the least at having to do the work of three lovely ladies, for it's a pleasure to help out as they're no doubt very busy elsewhere......</i><BR><BR><BR>Donnam, all you do is, once you enter the Events forum (or any forum for that matter), click in the "new topic" link at the far left hand side of the menu at the top of the page. A page will come up much like the one you post in, but there'll be an extra window for typing the new thread's title. Keep the title short so it all fits in the main forum page, type your message in the main window, click the appropriate button to post and...viola! You've just started a thread!<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0><BR><BR><BR><i>Gosh, that wasn't so tough. What do they need a school for anyway?<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif"border=0></i>

Thanks spd- actually, I did manage to get the new thread started, but am now having a nightmare of a time getting a link posted to the site. Can you give me easy- very basic instructions on how to post a link? Thanks

Mammo, you are a sweetheart.<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0><BR><BR>Sure, Donnan!<img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0> <BR><BR>When you post a reply, there's a sentence down below that says "special symbols allow some html functionality." click on "symbols" and follow the simple instructions. Basically, type [ then l then url=" then the url then another "] then the name of the link then a [/l]. The only space when you do it though is between the l and url. The first time you might have to edit once or twice before you get it right but that's ok because that happens to everyone the first couple of times. <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0>

Why thank you spd <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif"border=0> I'm speechless! <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif"border=0> <BR><BR>I take back anything I ever said about you being less than the perfect gent <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"border=0> Not that I would ever have said such a thing anyway <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif"border=0><BR><BR>Now all we need is a genuine newbie <i>*sigh*</i> <img src="http://www.tolkienonline.com/mb/i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif"border=0>